Starling hanging upside down on a wire

[Troy A.]

Years ago I shot a starling that was on a telephone wire in my back yard, it was about 30 yards away, I was using my Crosman 2200 loaded with an Ely Wasp .22 pellet. At the shot the bird was thrown backwards as it started shaking violently, hanging by two feet for about 7 seconds, then stopped shaking, now hanging by one foot for about 5 seconds. Finally it let go and fell stone dead. I wanted to make a second shot as it was there hanging but I just watched, not loading another pellet or pumping the gun up. I have never experienced this with any other birds only Starlings.  Has anyone experienced this with any other birds? Or just Starlings?

[Xraycer]

I occasionally see this with squirrels, shot, from tree branches.

[A.K.A. Tommy Boy]

Like Dinh, I've seen squirrels do this too.       Best Regards - Tom

[timbertramp]

I've had starlings do it when i was a kid shooting them off lines or support cables at the farm

[archellas]

Well .... I am no expert (not even a novice!) .... but, I did see this video once from Ted's Holdover, which might help explain things a little, it's a pretty good watch  .....

[Wayne52]

Head shot they'll dance like crazy, with a vital shot they might run a little ways but not far however usually a vital shot just drops them.

[only1harry]

I sure have, but mostly with Starlings because we can't shoot other species besides House Sparrows and Starlings (and crow during the season).  It's happened to me at least a couple of times when I used to shoot Starlings in the trees (I shoot them on the ground now).  They would hang on by 1 leg for 5-10 seconds before falling to the ground.  That's because their nervous system make them tighten up their grip when they get shot, and dig into the branch they are on.  This enables them to hold on for a few after they are dead. 

It's different with the squirrels.  The squirrel digs that longer middle claw into the wood, whereas the Starlings just tighten their grip around the branch.  It's very interesting though seeing the squirrel through the scope hanging there by that 1 claw. 

Harry

[Mikeflys]

That brought back a memory, long story that I won't waste everyone's time with. But this was a Robin and a couple rotten kids with BB guns.... The robin was hit, hung upside down from the wire long enough for both of these kids to pump there guns and hit the bird 2 or 3 times each. I really don't know who they were, one might have somewhat resembled a 12 year old me...

[dk1677]

Had that happen with a few starlings on a suet feeder

[anti-squirrel]

I've seen this happen many many many many many many many times with head-shot pigeons.  The easiest way to tell they are dead is watch the tail and verify it fans out.  Piegons will sometimes sit there still upright on a ledge or powerline for ten seconds or longer with no indication there are done except the fail spreading.

Of course, I've also seen pigeons plop down and flutter for 20 seconds like a stoned butterfly, and other times they just keel over and drop from view.

[Xraycer]

That brought back a memory, long story that I won't waste everyone's time with. But this was a Robin and a couple rotten kids with BB guns.... The robin was hit, hung upside down from the wire long enough for both of these kids to pump there guns and hit the bird 2 or 3 times each. I really don't know who they were, one might have somewhat resembled a 12 year old me...

I'm betting there's plenty of those former "rotten kids" here than they may care to ever admit 
 

[Benny]

I've had that happen with a magpie and it worked to my advantage. There was a small flock of five magpies hanging around and the first one I hit was the one that hung upside down. The others sat in the surrounding trees looking at their buddy hanging from a branch and squawked angrily. I was shooting from a loft window and they didn't see me or notice that I was picking them off. In the end only one got away.    

[Mole2017]

The first starling I ever shot was almost 30 to 40 feet directly above me. Hit him somewhere about the neck or head. Over he went, but hung for a while before he fell. The net result was blood drops showered over a pretty wide area below. Fortunately nothing important underneath him.

[Ol'DeadEye]

Some interesting facts about birds feet.

http://www.projectbeak.org/adaptations/feet_perching.htm

[only1harry]

The first starling I ever shot was almost 30 to 40 feet directly above me. Hit him somewhere about the neck or head. Over he went, but hung for a while before he fell. The net result was blood drops showered over a pretty wide area below. Fortunately nothing important underneath him.

I shot a squirrel once with the Condor .25 during the winter (with 75fpe), and he just hung from the branch for a while from that 1 middle claw draining all the blood out of him before falling.  I could see through the scope blood pumping and pouring out of both the entry and exit holes, and also dripping from his nose and mouth.  I had never seen a squirrel bleed that much that fast.  When I walked over, there were dozens of bloods spots/drops in the SNOW spread over a 3 sq.ft area with 1 pool of blood in the middle of it all.  It was like one big crime scene in the snow.  It had to be well over 90% blood loss but in the snow it looks like there was a small genocide there  

[wolverine]

When i was in high school i had a crosman 454 CO2 pistol
14 shots as fast as i could squeeze the trigger.  Starlings would like the wires near our cherry orchard and I would try to see how many I could having hanging at once.  I believe it was 4 before 1 would drop.